


I'm No Romeo

by JayTyHeyBye



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Asexual Jughead Jones, Breakups, Cheryl Blossom Needs a Hug, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, Prequel, Tumblr Prompt, jason blossom is there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 02:32:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10401762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayTyHeyBye/pseuds/JayTyHeyBye
Summary: Cheryl Blossom was his Juliet, but Jughead Jones could never be her Romeo.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Don't really ship it but this was super fun to write lmao

Jughead should be used to Cheryl Blossom dragging him into random rooms of the school by now. They were Juniors, and the end of the school year was coming up fast. 

He had been minding his own business, having just finished up at his locker when a cold hand wrapped itself around his wrist and dragged him into the Sex-Ed classroom. Jughead had nearly tripped over his own feet. He and Cheryl had known each other a long time, but she had only seemed to acknowledge his existence earlier that year. They had been in the same Math class, and Jughead had helped her with a question she was having trouble solving. The next day, Cheryl had left her table and sat with him. It became a regular thing. That then led to bumping feet under the table, shared smiles, and eventually, sneaking out of classes so they could meet up and talk.

Cheryl Blossom wasn’t the type of girl she told everyone she was. Jughead knew that now. She was smarter than she led on. She was talented. Her real, genuine smile could light up a room, and in the end, she would sacrifice herself for the people she loved in the blink of an eye, no hesitation.

Cheryl Blossom was his very own Marylin Monroe, and Jughead felt like JFK; having to stay hidden in the shadows so no one would find out. 

To be honest, it was starting to tear him apart. 

Jughead Jones wasn’t worthy of Cheryl Blossom. She could get any boy in all of Riverdale, why would she want him? He knew in the long run that this wasn’t going to work. Not here. Not now. Not in this lifetime.

He liked to imagine that they had known each other in a past life. Perhaps she had been a princess in a medieval land, and Jughead was the knight who saved her, making them destined to live happily ever after. Maybe they had even grown old together, raised a family he didn’t know existed. He liked to imagine them together, smiling together in those past lives.

This, however, was real. There was no knight in shining armor. There was no family. No growing old together. There was a Sex-Ed classroom, and a world that would never tolerate them being together.

Jughead barely registered the fact that Cheryl was talking to him. She had since released her grip on his wrist in order to hold both his hands, and Jughead noticed the wide smile she wore on her face. It was enough to make his heart leap in his chest.

“Juggie? Are you even listening to me?”

“Wh-what? Oh. Yeah, of course.”

She clearly didn’t believe him. Squeezing his hands, she continued to speak.

“I want you to meet my parents.”

“No.” the single, lone word shot out of his mouth before he even realized he said ot, and the smile immediately dropped from Cheryl’s face.  
“What? Why not?”

Jughead let out a breathy laugh.

“Have you ever met your parents, Cheryl? They’ll eat me alive! What could possibly make you think they’d let someone like you date someone like me?”

Cheryl’s expression changed and she dropped Jughead’s hands. Crossing her arms, he saw her eyes beginning to narrow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what that’s supposed to mean! This isn’t right! You and I aren’t right!”

“Jason said he’s willing to help us, Juggie!”

Almost on cue, the door to the classroom opened. Jughead took an instinctive step away from Cheryl, but Jason just smirked.

“Relax, Jones. I’m not going to bite your head off for seeing my sister.”

Cheryl spun on Jughead, smiling.

“See? We can do this, Jughead! Together.” 

She reached for his hand, but Jughead forced himself to pull away. He couldn’t do this. 

Jughead Jones was a ticking time bomb. He knew sooner or later he’d explode, and he wasn’t about to take the tiny bit of perfection that was Cheryl Blossom down with him.

“No, Cheryl, we can’t.”

Jason took a step forward to try and reason with him, but one look silenced the taller redhead.

“Look, Cheryl,” he sighed, dragging a hand across his face, “you are...so perfect. You’re more than perfect, but I’m...I’m not the guy you’re looking for.”

“Sure you are, I just-”

“Let me finish!” He breathed, frowning at her. He hated this. He never wanted to have this conversation. “This isn’t working, Cheryl.”

Jughead could have sworn he saw the light fade from her eyes. He wasn’t worthy of her. He was never going to be worthy of her. He wasn’t good enough to be a Blossom. Hell, he was barely good enough to be a Jones. Cheryl Blossom was everything, and he was nothing. She was Juliet, and he wasn’t nearly good enough to be her Romeo. 

“What?” 

Jughead was forcing himself to speak now.

“Cheryl, you are everything to me. You are so amazing and talented, and you make me so happy, but what we’re doing isn’t right, and I think you know that,” He spared a look at Jason, who was glancing in between Jughead and his sister. This was the kid that would tell Reggie to leave him alone. He knew that as soon as he and Cheryl stopped seeing each other, that would stop. Part of him was okay with that. “Jason, I appreciate you wanting to help, but your parents would never approve of this. You come from the richest family in all of Riverdale, and to you I’m...I’m a piece of gum stuck to your shoe.”

“Juggie, please-” Cheryl reached for him again, pleading, but Jughead took a step back. 

“I’m sorry, Cheryl. I can’t do this anymore.”

With that, he turned and fled from the room. He tried to block out the sounds of crying, and the sounds of Jason trying to comfort his twin. 

\--------

Approximately 29 days later, the police were dragging the river for Jason’s body. Cheryl was found, soaking wet, beside the river’s edge. 

When school had started up again, Cheryl seemed to be coping quite well. Jughead had lost everything over the summer. Cheryl, Archie, his father, his home, anything you could possibly think of. 

He realized they were in the same biology class. Cheryl was sitting near the front, alone. Guilt tugged in Jughead’s chest, and before he realized what he was doing, he took the empty seat beside her.

Cheryl lifted her head, and for a moment, their eyes met. After a single beat, she gathered her things and rose to her feet.

“Cheryl-”

“You’re just a piece of gum, remember? I’m not in the mood to ruin my heels today.”

With a flick of her hair she was gone, leaving him to sit near the back of the classroom.

In the blink of an eye, Jughead really had lost everything.

Including his Cheryl Blossom.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to follow my tumblr! @subject-to-feels


End file.
